The Niftorian Project has announced an NFT Artist Accelerator. The accelerator is based on the model used in the tech industry for startups. Many startup founders are creating complex businesses and do not have all of the requisite contacts and knowledge required to successfully build and scale their companies. The Niftorian project founders recognized that this was a similar challenge faced by many artists launching NFT projects. There are many requirements beyond the art for any NFT project and artists were asking how to fill in the gaps.
The NFT Artist Accelerator is the first program of its kind and is modeled on the successful format common in the tech industry. Artists accepted into the program will be assigned a mentor and participate in several sessions with functional experts in a variety of disciplines common to NFT projects. Some of these expert sessions will include comparisons of different blockchains and marketplaces, the key decisions in developing a smart contract, the legal considerations in the project design, pricing strategy, community building, and utility development.
The goal is for artists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the many facets of NFT projects and learn how to fill those gaps either personally or by connecting with skilled collaborators. In addition, artists will be able to connect with collectors before the launch, get feedback, and recruit early backers.
Applying for the NFT Artist Accelerator
There is no cost to apply for the accelerator nor is there an obligation to participate. The accelerator is a selective process and will include around a dozen artists in the first cohort. Artists are asked to submit an application that only takes a few minutes to complete. Niftorian project members will follow up with additional questions and live web meetings with finalists. The accelerator will be conducted entirely online.
A Neutral Program Focused on Artist Success
It is also worth noting that the Niftorian project will not be hosting the NFT mints but instead helping artists to select the right methods, blockchains, and marketplaces to mint based on their objectives. The Niftorian project is currently running a mint for its Founder’s Collection and will soon have a live personal profile picture (PFP) project on the Ethereum blockchain with listing on OpenSea. However, the team is both blockchain and marketplace agnostic and is planning for mints on other chains and marketplaces in the future. They recognize that different approaches are optimal for different projects and there are many paths to success.
More About the Program and Timeline
The accelerator program will run for about five weeks with the schedule finalized in January when the initiative will kick-off. After about five weeks there will be a demo day where the accelerator participants pitch their project idea to the Niftorian community. That demo day will come before the project is in full execution and provide an opportunity for artists to receive feedback that can help shape their concept. It is also a time when artists can recruit collaborators to help with project activities beyond the art or identify an artist partner for the effort. This is the type of communal support that is sorely lacking for artists today.
Participants are under no obligation to launch an NFT project after going through the accelerator. However, those that do will have a distinct advantage in building toward their launch day.
The first cohort of artists is expected to be announced in December and the accelerator will begin in mid-January.
